TAIPEI--Taiwan on Wednesday launched annual military exercises intended to guard against Chinese threats to invade, including using so-called “gray zone tactics” deployed by China that stop just short of open warfare.

Chen criticized the DPP administration for persisting in its stance on "Taiwan independence", inciting cross-Strait confrontation, wasting resources, and promoting a "militarization of the entire populace". He accused the administration of dragging the Taiwan people onto the "Taiwan independence" bandwagon, escalating tensions in the Taiwan Strait.